Each year, tens of thousands of automobiles and trucks are damaged in automotive accidents. The repair of these vehicles is typically performed by one of the approximate 50,000 automotive body shops located throughout the United States and Canada.
A key element in auto body repair is the correct alignment and measurement of the vehicle frame and/or body in order to determine both the extent of damage and the correct alignment necessary for proper repair. At present, there are a number of popular devices and methods for gauging vehicle body and frame disalignment and damage.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,663; 4,302,883; and 4,899,457 each disclose various vehicle straightening and measurement bridges and frames for gauging autobody repair. These devices are bulky, expensive and must be utilized by trained personnel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,663, for example, includes cumbersome position locating arms which are movable along several axes, but which are difficult to position. several axes, but which are difficult to position.
Some prior art devices such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,635 incorporate sight alignment mechanisms. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,635 telescoping tubes suspend from the frame for supporting a pointer. These devices are also complex and relatively difficult to use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,945 utilizes a laser based measurement system. Laser based measurement systems, which have recently gained popularity, are very expensive (often costing over $50,000) and require substantial training by automotive repair personnel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,250 discloses an acoustical system for determining vehicle damage utilizing computerized acoustical measurement. The system includes a data acquisition apparatus comprised of emitters, receivers, and microprocessor controls. The emitters are mounted at various predetermined positions on the body and emit an acoustic burst signal. An array of microphones act as the receiver. A coprocessor initializes an external clock which measures the travel time from the emitter to the receivers. The repetition of the process yields three dimensional coordinates which can be utilized to measure vehicle damage.
Each of the above discussed prior art devices and methods thus utilizes complex, expensive or bulky apparatus for measuring vehicle damage. Such apparatus, while accurate, are often far beyond the financial reach of the small auto body shop and the cost of their purchase and use is a contributing factor to the increased cost of auto body repair. Auto body repair is a substantial component in increasing automotive insurance rates. The use of these devices further increases the cost and time required for estimating auto body damage.
It would be desirable to have a vehicle frame measurement system which is small, inexpensive and which can be easily utilized and moved to determine vehicle damage.
It is thus a principal object of the present invention to provide a vehicle damage measurement system which is small, inexpensive and which can be rapidly utilized to make a significant number of auto body measurements.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a vehicle damage measurement apparatus which incorporates a plurality of magnetic measurement stops which can be easily maneuvered to measure a wide variety of relevant vehicle gauges and distances.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent in view of the following Summary and Detailed Description.